The Two Man Gentlemen Band performs at Crooked Tree

PETOSKEY -- A unique opportunity to hear music reminiscent of the '20s and '30s swing bands is coming to Crooked Tree Arts Center in April, in the form of a duo called The Two Man Gentlemen Band.

Touring America and playing their own modern version of early jazz and swing music, the duo will be performing at the center on Friday, April 13, in this concert put on by Blissfest.

Andy Bean, singer, tenor guitarist, banjoist and principal songwriter for the band along with Fuller Condon, playing the upright bass, offer a unique combination of music and improvised banter throughout their performance.

"The entire show is pretty improvised. We have a lot of fun," said Bean.

From their beginnings as street performers, where they first met in New York, the pair have come a long way in the past six years.

Currently debuting their seventh record release in the form of "Two at a Time," the duo has grown in popularity each year, especially among the festival and roots music fans.

"Once we met something immediately clicked and fell into place and we pretty much immediately started planning to tour," Bean noted.

Having raised the funding for this latest release through fan contributions via Kickstarter, a Web-based fundraising platform, the band produced the entire album without the use of any digital technology.

From the design and packaging of the album to the recording of the music, everything was done in a period way with the appropriate 1940s and '50s equipment.

Both Bean and Condon feel that this album represents their live act in the best possible way, with no digital effects or editing.

Bean, as the principal writer, offers 10 new songs on their current release, many of which will be performed at the April show.

A lot of their music has a prevailing theme along the lines of food and drink, such as their song "Please Don't Water it Down," which describes the difficulty of finding a well-made drink.

Some of their other popular song titles include, "Pork Chops," "Cheese & Crackers" and "Tikka Masala."

Throughout their performance, the pair limit themselves to two instruments in the form of Bean's four-string electric tenor guitar, which he plays through a vintage 1937 Gibson amplifier, and Condon's upright bass.

With Bean living in Los Angeles, Calif., and Condon in Charleston, S.C., their touring schedule calls for some careful coordination.

"We also both have some very understanding women in our lives," Bean noted.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band has tour dates across America this year. Their nationwide "Two at a Time" release tour officially began March 20, and includes an appearance this year at Blissfest during the summer.

Advance ticket sales are available through the art center's box office or at www.blissfest.org; tickets may be available at the door. Ticket prices are $10 for Blissfest members and $15 for nonmembers; they also offer reduced prices for students at $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers.